Ladder



June 7, 1927. 1,631,922

T. H. CURTIS LADDER Filed Nov. 2, 1926 Patented June 7, 1927. I

TIMOTHY HERBERT ctraTIs, or WESTMINSTEB, Erratum.

LADDER.

, Application filed November 2," 1926, Serial No. 145, 825, and in Great Britain June 9, 1926. V

lapsible portable ladders of the type in which the side members are of U or channel section for the major portions of theirlengths and are of tubular section for the oted at their ends within both of the side members so that the side members can be moved apart or together as a pair of parallel rulers, the rungs being contained Within" the side members when the ladder 1s in its collapsed condition.

The invention has for its object to enable lengths of collapsible portable ladders as referred to to be coupled together end to end. In order that the invention, the objects and nature of which have been set forth, may

' be clearly and readily understood, reference will now be made to the embodiment illust-rated on the accompanying sheet of drawings,on which Fig. 1 is a View of the ladder in its col.- lapsed condition;

i Fig. 2 a View of the ladder opened out ready foruse, and also shows in dotted lines a second ladder coupled thereto; and

Fig. 3 shows the parts indicated by the lettersA and B in Fig. 2 in perspective.

11, 12 are the side members and 13 are the rungs. The side members and rungs are of metal, the rungs 13 being of rectangu lar section and the side members of U or channel section for the major portion of their lengths, and of tubular section for the remainder. The side members 11, 12, in theembodiment illustrated and now being described, are constructed from a metal tube by cutting the tube towards each end transverseto its axis and on opposite sides, as indicated at 14 and 15in Fig. 1, and by ]01I1- ing the cuts 14, 15 by a longitudinal and diametrically arranged cut 16. The tube when so cut provides the two side members 11, 12 shown in Fig. 2. y

17 17 are blocks mounted in pairs within the U or channel section portions of the side members. Between each pair of blocks 17 the one end of a rung 13 is hinged on a pin 18, the ends of which are mounted in the walls of the side member. The arrangement described issuch that the two side, members can be caused to approach or recede from one another as a pair of parallel rulers.

ladder together.

One of the pairs of blocks 17 in each side member is disposed adjacent to the shoulder formed at and by the junction of the tubu lar and U or channel section portions of the side member. The shoulder so formed forms an abutment for. the rung l3 hinged to the said blocks and limits the movement in an outward direction of the side membersg it remainder and in which the rungs are p1v- 9 also ensures that the rungs are at right angles to the side members when the side members are moved fully apart.

Each of the side members between the free" end of the U or channel section portion and the final pair of blocks 17 is cut as indicated at 19 in Fig. 3, and the walls of such portion 20 of the side member are pressed inwardly as also indicated in Fig. 3. By this arrangen'ient it is possible to couple two or more lengths of ladder together, the tubular portions 21 constituting the female members and the portions 20 constituting the male members of plug and socket connections, all as clearly shown in Fig.2.

In assembling several parts described, it will be seen that the tubular portions 21 are at opposite ends of the ladder. but the side members can be assembled so that these portions are both at the same end of the ladder, though this latter arrangement would not be so convenient for coupling lengths of The ladder. when collapsed, can be car ried as a rod or stick, inthe handor'it can be slung from'theshoulder by length of rope having plugs at its ends to enter the tubular portions 21. Further the ladder may be provided with feet or pads adapted to be passed into or secured to the ends of members.

What I claim is 7 1 A collapsible ladder comprising a pair of side members each of channel section for the greater portion ofits length from one end and of tubular section for the remainder of its length. with a transverse cutsituated towards'the free end of the channel section portion, the portion between the cut and the adjacent end having its sides pressed in other ladder. and rungs pivotedat their ends within both the side members and to be contained within said side members when p the ladder is in its collapsed condition. y

Dated this 20th day ofOctober' 1926.

TIMOTHY HERBERT CURTIS. '1 

